Word origins - 2ed. J. Ayto. 2005.
midwife — [mid′wīf΄] n. pl. midwives [mid′wīvz΄] [ME midwyf < mid, with < OE (< Gmc mithi < IE * meti < base * me > MID1, Ger mit, Gr meta) + wif, woman (see WIFE): basic sense “woman with, woman assisting”] a person (now, esp., a… … English World dictionary
Midwife — Mid wife , v. i. To perform the office of midwife. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Midwife — Mid wife , n.; pl. {Midwives}. [OE. midwif, fr. AS. mid with (akin to Gr. ?) + ? woman, wife. Properly, the woman or wife who is attendant upon a woman in childbirth. See {Meta }, and {Wife}.] A woman who assists other women in childbirth; a… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Midwife — Mid wife , v. t. To assist in childbirth. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
midwife — (n.) c.1300, woman assisting, lit. woman who is with (the mother at birth), from M.E. mid with (see MID (Cf. mid)) + wif woman (see WIFE (Cf. wife)). Cognate with Ger. Beifrau … Etymology dictionary
midwife — ► NOUN ▪ a nurse who is trained to assist women in childbirth. DERIVATIVES midwifery noun. ORIGIN probably from obsolete mid «with» + WIFE(Cf. ↑wifely) (in the sense «woman») … English terms dictionary
Midwife — A person trained to assist a woman during childbirth. Many midwives also provide prenatal care for pregnant women, birth education for women and their partners, and care for mothers and newborn babies after the birth. A midwife may be a man or a… … Medical dictionary
midwife — mid·wife (mĭd’wīf′) n. pl. mid·wives ( wīvz′) 1) A person, usually a woman, who is trained to assist women in childbirth. 2) One who assists in or takes a part in bringing about a result: » In the Renaissance, artists and writers start to serve… … Word Histories
midwife — 1. noun /ˈmɪd.waɪf/ a) A person, usually a woman, who is trained to assist women in childbirth, but who is not a physician. A hundred years ago, a midwife would bring the baby into the world going to a hospital to deliver a baby was either… … Wiktionary
midwife — [14] A midwife is etymologically a ‘with woman’. The mid element represents the long extinct preposition mid ‘with’ (its Germanic relatives are still alive and well: German mit, Dutch met, and Swedish and Danish med). Wife preserves the original… … The Hutchinson dictionary of word origins
midwife — UK [ˈmɪdˌwaɪf] / US noun [countable] Word forms midwife : singular midwife plural midwives UK [ˈmɪdˌwaɪvz] / US a nurse whose job is to look after women when they are giving birth to a baby … English dictionary
